ATLANTA -- Steven Matz continues to pitch like a veteran rather than a guy who has had only nine starts in his major league career.

The left-hander scattered nine hits over seven innings and the New York Mets won their seventh straight game at Turner Field with an 8-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Matz (2-1) struck out eight, one shy of his career high, and did not walk a batter. Matz threw 98 pitches, 74 for strikes, and won his second straight game.

"You saw him move the ball, coming in and out of the zone," New York manager Terry Collins said. "He located the ball very well. There were a couple of pitches he wanted back, but other than that he pitched a very good game."

Matz improved his career record to 6-1 in nine career starts, the most wins through nine starts in club history. He did not resemble the same pitcher who allowed seven runs in his season debut.

"Matz was pretty good," admitted Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He threw the ball extremely well. His velocity was 94-95 (mph) and he was hitting his spots."

New York has won two straight and five of its last six. Atlanta lost for the fourth straight time.

The Mets had 15 hits, including back-to-back homers from Neil Walker, his seventh, and Asdrubal Cabrera, his first, in the ninth inning. That started a three-run rally that put the game out of reach.

"They both know how to play the game and get the job done," Collins said.

New York now has 23 homers over its last eight games. Walker's seven homers match his career best for homers in a month.

The losing pitcher was Jhoulys Chacin (0-1), who was making his Turner Field debut. Chacin pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits and two walks, with five strikeouts.

The Mets jumped on the Braves for two runs in the first inning.

Curtis Granderson led off with a single and took third on Michael Conforto's base hit. Granderson scored on Lucas Duda's sacrifice fly to deep center and Conforto scored when Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman committed a two-base fielding error.

The Braves scored a run in the third when Nick Markakis was hit by a pitch to open the inning and came home on an RBI double by Freeman, who had been mired in a 3-for-19 slump.

New York scored two runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead on a two-out, opposite-field double by David Wright.

The Mets added a run in the seventh to stretch their lead to 5-1. Cabrera fisted a single to left that enabled Wright to score. Wright opened the inning with a double.

"I think we're starting to get in the flow of what a baseball season is all about," Collins said. "We're talking about this season now instead of 2015."

Meanwhile the Braves continue to struggle to score runs. Atlanta had 10 hits on Saturday, but left eight runners on base, and has not hit a home run in its last 12 games. The Braves have only hit three homers, their lowest stretch of futility since 1937.

"We're getting hits, but we're getting our runs," Gonzalez said. "You see guys swinging the bat and coming out of a funk. There are plusses, other than we aren't winning games, which is the biggest thing."

NOTES: New York OF Yoenis Cespedes was not in the starting lineup. He aggravated his bruised right leg on Friday night while running the bases. ... Atlanta optioned RHP Casey Kelly to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled LHP Matt Marksberry from Double-A Mississippi. ... The Braves are expected to start rookie RHP Aaron Blair in the series finale on Sunday against Mets RHP Jacob deGrom (1-0, 1.50). Blair will make his major league debut. He was 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Gwinnett and pitched seven no-hit innings in his last start. To make room on the roster for Blair, the Braves optioned Marksberry to Triple-A. ... DeGrom hasn't pitched since the home opener on April 8 to be with his wife and newborn son, who has been hospitalized for two weeks with medical complications. DeGrom threw a 71-pitch simulated game on Tuesday. New York optioned RHP Rafael Montero to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for deGrom.